


Evening Confessional

by ran_kuro



Category: Uta no Prince-sama
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, five inches apart cause they're gay, two bros chilling on a bunk bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 03:51:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16526750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ran_kuro/pseuds/ran_kuro
Summary: Sometimes after a long day full of little inconveniences, you just need to share some time with someone you can trust.





	Evening Confessional

It was late in the evening when the wooden door slowly creaked open, a thin beam of golden light yawning into the dimly lit dorm. There was a brief shuffle of shoes being removed as the room gradually became darker once more. With the click of the lock shutting, a deep sigh came from the edge of the room. Slowly, the tired footfalls crept through the room, breathing and the groaning of the aged floorboards being the only sounds in the room. There was no hello—no welcoming greeting. Odd.

  


Shifting in his chair, Tokiya gently craned his neck to peer around the backrest. Even in the low lighting, a familiar shock of red hair stood unsteadily by their shared bunk-beds. A bag was haphazardly slid off of drooping shoulders before the young man dropped to the bottom mattress, the sudden weight pulling a quiet squeal from its springs. Tokiya watched silently. From his position, back facing the door with only a single desk lamp lighting the room, he was like a fly on the wall. Reiji was busy with Quartet✩Night for the next several days, so he wasn’t due to be home anytime soon. For all of his boyish charm, Otoya was a guarded person. Under the impression of being alone, Tokiya wondered what had happened to leave his roommate so out of character. 

  


There was a rustle of linens and soft cotton as Otoya cocooned himself beneath his duvet. Tokiya paused, wondering if the other man was simply going to sleep for the night, when the redhead’s steady breathing began to falter. Wet sniffles and shuddering hiccups slipped from under the covers, twisting knots in Tokiya’s stomach. He eyed the twisted pile of blankets on the bottom bunk, watching soft, shaggy red locks shiver as they peeked above the covers. He considered his options. If he left the room, Otoya would no doubt hear the door shut behind him. He had to stay put or reveal himself to his distressed roommate. Taking a moment to ground himself, Tokiya briefly closes his eyes, bookmarking and closing the small novel in his hands before quietly rising from his chair. Shifting his weight as he walked, the blue-haired man slowly crept towards the bunks, his eyes softening as he watched the redhead. He stopped in front of the bed, afraid of startling the other man if he stood at the head or the foot of the bunk. 

  


“Otoya.” He willed his voice to be gentle, giving the distressed man his personal space. The lump of bedding froze, the tiny gasps and sputters under the bedclothes breaking their rhythm as crimson locks shifted on the pillows. Slowly, a pair of tired, vermilion eyes peeked out, almost uniform in their swollen color. They looked sheepish, refusing to meet Tokiya’s gaze. What was probably meant to be a cheery laugh comes out stuttering and raw. 

  


“Tokiya, I didn’t know you were home,” tanned hands absentmindedly twist the duvet, “Sorry you had to hear that.” Otoya lets out another chuckle, gradually scooting back towards the wall. The blue-haired man gestured to the freed space at the edge of the bed.

  


“Would you mind if I sat down?” The two of them made eye contact as Otoya slowly nodded. The bed gave a soft creak as silence settled over the room once again. The redhead’s breathing had gradually calmed down, and the two of them began to breathe in sync, settled in the darkness beyond the forgotten lamp’s reach. They shared a tense silence, hands cautious to settle anywhere in particular and eyes awkwardly refusing to find each other. 

  


“How could you handle it,” Otoya’s soft voice settled onto the cotton, curling around them, “Back when you were Hayato. You were so dedicated. And you still gave your all for ST✩RISH on top of that.” Tokiya watched him out of the corner of his eye as he began to curl up on himself once more, staring intensely at his hand hanging limply in front of his face. It was rare for any of them to bring up Hayato after ST✩RISH came together fully, so he let the redhead continue uninterrupted. “Even when you were exhausted, you were  _ amazing _ . It was like you were unstoppable, no matter what happened.” Otoya paused, clenching his raised hand into a fist before letting it droop open again. Red eyes suddenly found the bottom of the other bunk infinitely fascinating. 

  


“I don’t really know what I bring to ST✩RISH.” The duvet cocoon drew slightly tighter inward, “I had a photoshoot with Masa and Natsuki this afternoon and I just tensed up. I wasn’t sure what to do, or how to pose, or anything and I slowed all of us down a lot. The staff told us we did great and the others seemed happy but I just…,” they made eye contact once more, “I feel like I held us back. Like I didn’t do good enough. Even during practice I’ve been messing up more lately. I’m sorry, Tokiya.” 

  


There was another bout of silence, two breaths struggling to synchronize as one threatened to falter once more. Tokiya let his hand wander on the bedspread, slowly drifting across the soft cotton until he could knit their fingers together. Neither spoke a word as cold and warm digits shared their heat. The blue-haired man let himself tighten his grip, an anchoring squeeze giving the support he couldn’t quite form with his words. 

  


The duvet began to shift until Tokiya could feel the redhead’s knees resting gently against his back. Otoya’s breath came out in soft puffs against their joined hands, as the blue-haired man drew circles against the other’s wrist with his thumb.

  


“ST✩RISH would be nothing without you,” Tokiya whispered, “You’re what keeps all of us going strong.” He ran his free palm gently down the cover of the novel in his lap, Otoya watching as his fingers lingered on the leather-bound hardcover. If Otoya happened to knit their hands ever so tighter, he wouldn’t comment on it. The redhead’s eyelids began to fall slightly, as his gaze shifted back and forth from the blue-haired man’s face and the book resting on his thigh. Tokiya caught on, slowly opening the book, removing the ribbon from its place as he turned to the first page. 

  


“Weren’t you almost finished? Why did you take out the bookmark?” Otoya asked sleepily. Tokiya’s eyes softened, scanning the bold, intricate text of the title page. 

  


“You haven’t read this before, have you?” Otoya shook his head slowly, “Then I have no problem starting over again.” The redhead settled in, tired eyes focusing on the soft blue of the cover, letting himself relax as the other man began to read in a gentle tone. The room felt warmer than it had before, as their bodies curled together and the blend of tired breaths and soft whispers filled the air, hidden together in the dark. Before the second chapter could begin, the duvet had been shared and the novel forgotten, as cold and warm melded into a perfect balance. 

  


“Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;   
If you can bounce high, bounce for her too,   
Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,   
I must have you!"

  


—Thomas Parke D'Invilliers

**Author's Note:**

> The book Tokiya's reading is F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby". Neither the poem taken from the start of the novel nor the novel itself hold any real symbolism. It's just personally my favourite book of all time and one I discuss a lot with friends. It's also a classic I feel Tokiya would have read at least once. 
> 
> There's not set point in the canon for this, and both of them come off slightly out of character to me, but I'm just really trying to figure out how to write their speech patterns and mannerisms. This is also coming from a random burst of inspiration while I was getting ready for bed and I couldn't sleep until I got my ideas in order. 
> 
> This hasn't been beta'd and I only quickly scanned for errors so I apologize for any issues!!


End file.
